Moet champagne group debuts ‘made in India’ bubbly

Over the past decade, Indian wines have become increasingly popular in the country as their quality has improved and the number of wine magazines has mushroomed.

Yet wine drinking is still largely confined to upmarket bars, hotels and restaurants in cities and affluent private social events.

“There is a larger market scope for sparkling wines in India,” Chandra said.

The so-called “bubbles” category in India “has had very little competition,” he added.

Moet’s Chandon NV is priced at 1,200 rupees (US$19) a bottle, costlier than its nearest rival priced at 950 rupees offered by Sula, which has a dominant share of India’s wine market.

However, the price is well below the 4,500 rupee per bottle that the foreign-made Moet Chandon Brut Imperial Champagne charges, making the locally made bottle much more affordable for Indian fizzy wine fans.